Sophisticated Sell

Anthropologie pours even more creative energy into building a vibrant store experience. Nothing is standard in an Anthropologie store, but a few organizing principles help structure the experience. Nearly every store features a sweeping, sculptural post-and-beam structure called "the arcade," which creates a series of niches or"vignettes" along a curved path. (One exception is the arcade-free Philadelphia store, which occupies the old Van Rensselaer mansion on Rittenhouse Square and which is limited by the rooms and orientation of the building.) The vignettes range from a Tunisian Casbah-inspired collection of exotic wares to a gauzy bedroom tableau. Anthropologie's energetic young visual director, Kristin Norris, is responsible for every aspect of the stores' look and feel, including the creation of these vibrant little worlds.

"I think of everything as a story," says Norris. "A bedding story isn't just about linens and comforters. It's about the feeling of nighttime and a sense of place. It's about the pictures on the wall, the soft glow of a lamp, a closet with robes and soft clothing peeking out." Likewise, a dining table overflowing with plates, glasses, candlesticks, table linens, and hay is "a story about fall entertaining." Whether a setting is based on the rooms of your house, the artifacts and way of life of a foreign culture, or a season's collection, Norris and her team create rich, seamless arrangements of one-of-a-kind objects, home merchandise, clothes, and visual themes. It's hard to tell where the merchandise ends and the display begins.

That's precisely the idea, says Norris. "We try to create little environments that tell a story. The idea is to capture a customer's attention so that she'll explore every corner and let her imagination go. We mix up the stock in a way that gives the customer ideas -- ideas about how to mix colors and textiles that she'd never think of combining or ideas about how materials like turquoise and leather can cross categories from clothing to accessories."

Norris's team (in tandem with each store's visual manager, display coordinator, visual sales associate, and a loose circle of contributing artists and craftspeople) adds a rich layer of artistry and visual wit to the store experience: A stunning, four-story yarn sculpture is cantilevered off the top floor of the Philadelphia store. An upside-down tea party -- complete with dangling cups, saucers, and brightly patterned café table -- delights visitors at the entrance to the Westchester Mall store. Branches covered with leaves cut from rich velvets and tweeds speak of fall.

Along with visual cues, Anthropologie trips the customer's imagination with physical sensations. "Anthropologie is defined by the idea and activity of discovery," says Pompei. "We do everything we can to ground the experience in tactile, visual, kinesthetic, sensual elements. From the materials we use to how the space is laid out. There are no aisles -- you wander and chart your own course. It's subliminal but effective. I describe it as like taking a walk in the woods, or walking the hill towns of Tuscany. The paths are never straight; they're always arched or curved or faceted. You always have a sense of anticipation of what's 15 feet in front of you. Consciously or not, your senses are activated. That's fun. Not in the entertainment sense, but in the engaged sense. It's fun because it's stimulating. It's fun because you're seeing things and connections you've never seen before."

Merchandise: Philosophy, Fit, Mix
Every customer discovery in an Anthropologie store starts with discoveries by buyers in the field. Keith Johnson, de facto chief product anthropologist, spends half of his time (down from nearly three-quarters a few years ago) traveling the globe to scour antique fairs, flea markets, obscure emporiums, tiny shops, museums, and factories for inspiration and artifacts. For eight years, his job has been literally to shop the world -- and he has the passport (reinforced with 72 extra pages crowded with stamps and visas) to prove it.

For Johnson, the ultimate find is not only a one-of-a-kind object that Anthropologie can sell in the store (found objects make up a small percentage of home sales, which comprise 35% of total sales), but also one that inspires a new in-house design. "My job is to provide the store with some backbone to create wonderful displays and ambiance," he says. "We sell antiques, but the focus is to create an evocative environment. At the same time, I'm always looking for products that we can reproduce and turn into our own collection. There's a high premium on proprietary product. It reinforces the unique experience of Anthropologie -- and the margins are great."